From Bjørn Lomborg, Copenhagen Consensus Center
In your editorial you criticise the Copenhagen Consensus for presenting evidence that does not back up your stance on global warming (11 February, p 5). While it is tempting to want science to conform to preconceptions, the value of science is that the causality goes the other way: our understanding is shaped by the facts.
Bringing together some of the world’s top economists, including four Nobel prizewinners, the Copenhagen Consensus pointed out that large and early cuts in carbon emissions (such as Kyoto) are a very costly way of doing very little good far into the future (doing 2 pennies’ worth of good for each pound invested), and that there are many better investments to be made for humanity in disease, malnutrition, free trade and water (where each pound would do up to £40 of good). Wishing this was different does not make these facts go away.
Copenhagen, Denmark
